'There's a missed call for you, from Henry Mills.' Emma's eyes lifted to her assistants at this, questioningly. Why would Henry Mills be calling her? 'I know. I said you call him back as soon as you got in.' She passed her the number on a small piece of paper.
'Okay, thank you. I'll do that now. Could you just give these notes to Simon please? He requested them yesterday.' Anne nods, taking instruction. She gives her boss a small smile, and then leaves the office quickly. Emma can't help but notice the smile, and register its meaning. She's seen that look before, and she knows exactly what it means.
In that moment, she considers how unprofessional it would be to act on any subtleties thrown her way. It really makes her feel stupidly responsible. Emma hadn't been with anyone in a while, actually. When she was younger, she'd been with a lot of girls. She'd never had a girlfriend though, that never appealed.
Sighing, she shook her head, ignoring such thoughts. She was happy alone. Her mind drifted to Henry Mills, and his reason for calling. His firm was the top in the business, she'd never been up against him personally, and her firm had however, and lost. Emma was currently working at a small place in Boston, worked on mostly small cases.
Wasting no more time, she punched in the numbers. A sudden nervousness seemed to gather within her. The phone rang four times, before it was answered. Emma was counting, she couldn't help it. 'Hello, Mills Lawyer Service, Kate Reed speaking. How may I help you today?'
'Hey, my name is Emma Swan. I was hoping to speak to Henry Mills.' There was a silence for a moment, and then the voice sounded again. Emma sat up in her chair slightly, getting continually nervous for the conversation about to take place.
'Yes, that's fine. He's been expecting your call. I'll just put you through.' The silence sounded once again, until a firm voice came through. 'Hello, I've been waiting for you to call.' It was said kindly, almost like old friends. She immediately felt at a strange ease with this man.
'Hello Mr Mills.' She replied, not really knowing what else to say. Luckily he began to talk again. 'I was just calling because there is a position here I think you'd be greatly suited too. You've come well recommended, and from your case history, I can see you deserve to be working on much bigger cases than those right now. You're wasted there Emma, so please consider coming to work for me.'
A million thoughts flew through her head as he spoke. She felt excited, complimented, yet confused. Why her? Of all the lawyers in the world? She finally found her voice. 'Thank you, but if you don't mind, why me? And which firm would I be working at?'
'Why, Emma? Well, I saw your case a couple of weeks ago, it was something so simplistic. A small charge and the technique you used… It really got me. It was perfect and I want to use it. I can't quite describe it. As to where you'll work, that depends. You're in Boston at the moment, and there is a great position in Maine. I don't do this often, I really don't. But you have such potential, a great talent. How could I possibly let it slide away and oppose my firm?'
Emma seriously mulled this over for a moment. She was completely torn. 'Maine?' She questioned, checking she had heard correctly. Would she really leave this job? She liked it enough. But… Henry Mills gave a very tempting offer.
'Yes, or in Maine. Of course Maine is my newest firm, and I'm looking to get that afloat really. It's near where my daughter lives, so I'd definitely be visiting frequently, and giving guidance when possible.' That sounded perfect, she couldn't believe how much she wanted to leave right now, for Maine, and never look back.
'That... That sounds amazing! Thank you so much!' Emma couldn't help but grin. She sat there for a moment, thinking about this great opportunity she'd been given. It almost felt too good to be true.
'I know you probably have family to discuss this with, so please, get back to me via email by tomorrow if possible. I'm sure I don't need to remind you how good of an opportunity this is. I'm in Boston next week, coincidentally. I'll email you the details for our face to face meeting; I hope you'll have made up your mind then.'
'Thank you, Mr Mills.' With that, He was gone. Emma could feel herself grinning, but she couldn't let it fade just yet. This was a great opportunity, like he'd said. She'd get personally mentored off of Henry Mills himself. Any lawyer in the world would kill for an opportunity like this. She didn't have family to discuss it with; her mind was definitely made up.
She'd received the email, and followed its directions. It had been exactly a week and two days since Henry Mills had called her. She hadn't spoken to management about this job just yet; Emma didn't quite believe it. As she wandered in to the café just a few streets down from her office, she searched for her soon-to-be boss.
Everybody knew what he looked like, even if you weren't in her profession, you'd know him from his companies posters. 'Mr Mills.' She muttered as their eyes locked. He was sat at the back, holding a cup of coffee. She made her way over, and sat across from him.
'Miss Swan, I hope you've considered my offer.' This suddenly felt a lot more real, and Emma was definitely ready. She felt herself nod, and settled on giving Henry a small smile.
'Well, here's the paperwork, if that's everything. Are you okay getting there, or do you need a moving van?' As he spoke, Emma looked over the documents. She was a lawyer after all. This just seemed too perfect, yet everything was seemingly in order.
'No, I think I will be fine alone thank you. I just need some directions, please. I'll see you there on Monday.' Emma took down everything he said, so she wouldn't get lost. She didn't actually have that much stuff, a lot of her things were still at her Aunts, where she grew up. She didn't own any of the furniture in her rented apartment, either.
She decided to consider where she would be sleeping when she got there. Everything was just too good to question right now.
After a long few days, and a long drive up to Maine, Emma finally arrived in the sleepy town of Storybrooke. It was a nice clear day, it felt like a fresh start. She couldn't wait to invite her Aunt to come and visit, show off this new town to her.
She pulled up, and dialled Mr Mills' mobile. She'd been given his number when they met. 'Hello, Miss Swan.' He answered with a stern voice, as usual. She still felt at ease, even with his tone.
'Hello, I'm in Storybrooke, just arrived. I was hoping we could meet and discuss everything.' Emma pulled herself out of the car, suddenly feeling slightly stupid. She probably shouldn't have just dropped everything and turned up here, with no plan and no place to stay.
Luckily, she had enough money to last her, and the wage she was going to get working for Henry would definitely cover the expense of sleeping in a hotel for the first couple of weeks whilst she gets back on track, and finds a place to stay. Her new boss had made such an irresistible offer. In that moment, she decided not to regret it at all. After all, she had no one in Boston she would miss.
'Of course. If you haven't arranged anywhere to stay, there is always a spare room here at my daughters if you are stuck.' Emma refused politely, she simply couldn't impose. 'In that case, there's a diner just down town, you can't miss it. They're a bed and breakfast- 'Granny's'.' Emma noted the name.
'Thank you, sir.' She sighed in relief; the town seemed empty at the moment. But she was still in the outside of it really. It took all of ten minutes to get in to the town, and then another five to find 'Granny's'.
Emma parked her car, and made her way up to the small diner. It was actually quite full, surprisingly. A lot of people began staring, and she suddenly felt self-conscious. She looked toward the counter, and a girl smiled back.
'Ignore them, how can I help?' The woman said with a cheery smile. 'I'm Ruby, and you are?' It took Emma a couple of seconds to respond, she was lost in her thoughts.
'Emma Swan. I was looking for a place to stay for a couple of nights.' Ruby's smile grew. The new lawyer felt as though she had made a friend, and that set her mind at ease. Maybe she'd settle in here fine.
'Well you've come to the right place! If you'd like to follow me, I can show you to a room right now.' Emma smiled, and gestured for Ruby to lead the way. Once the room was decided, she moved her boxes in, feeling accomplished.
'So, what are you doing here in Storybrooke?' Ruby had to ask. Emma had been waiting for her to, and it wasn't a secret.
'I was offered a job working for Henry Mills.' The woman looked at Emma for a moment, in thought. Then smiled widely at her again, she seemed to be refraining from saying something. 'Do you know him well?'
'No, he seems lovely though, very kind.' Emma could sense a 'but'. So she nodded her head, staring at Ruby waiting for the elaboration. 'But, well, have you met his daughter?' Emma shook her head, confused.
'Well, she's the mayor, and let's just say, you don't want to meet her. She's… Well, she runs the town well, but it doesn't make her a very nice person.' Emma just nodded. 'But I don't know, it's none of my business. She just seems to angry all the time, and she's such a control freak. But as I said, she is a good mayor. That's why everyone voted her in. Not that she has much competition.'
'What's her name?' Emma found herself asking, her meeting with this woman was impending. If she was working for her father's firm, it's most likely that she'll be in close contact with her.
'Regina Mills.'
Emma repeated her name, like it was something familiar. She stood in thought for a second, looking at Ruby with a small smile. Her mobile ringing brought her out of her reverie, as she picked it up- 'Mr Mills'.
'Hello Mr Mills.' She answered with a smile, nodding an apology to Ruby who immediately returned to work.
'Hello Miss Swan, I was just wondering if you were staying at 'Granny's', if so I'm on my way over now, we can discuss everything then.' He spoke quickly, with a slight pant. He was obviously walking to 'Granny's'.
'Yes, I am. That's great; I'll see you in a few. Would you like me to get you a coffee or anything?' She asked, politely. She could hear him pant a few times more, before replying.
'Yes, just a coffee thanks. See you soon.' She put the phone down, and asked Ruby for two coffees. She paid her, and once they were made took a seat. A few seconds later, Henry Mills walked in to small diner, and shot a smile at Ruby, and then made his way over to Emma.
'Mr Mills, there you go.' He muttered a 'thank you' as he sat down across from her. 'I was wondering when I would be starting work?' He took a sip of his coffee, and then set it down before he replied to her.
'I was hoping you could start working tomorrow, kind of. I want you to meet the Sheriff and the Mayor, simply because you will be working closely with them. The sheriff will give you most of your cases. You are the only lawyer in the town, that's why this job is so important. The mayor, my daughter, will be running the law firm when I'm out of town.' Emma took this in, and nodded with a smile.
'From the things I've heard about you, you've spent a lot of time working within both the law, and the police. Yet you're so young. I think you'll settle in well with our sheriff, and be a lot of use. I'm pretty sure my daughter will love you too.'
Of course she will. She shouldn't judge Regina from what she'd heard but she just couldn't help it. 'First thing tomorrow, I would like you to meet her. I've told her you will be dropping by her office tomorrow, and then the sheriff will be meeting you both there later.'
Emma nodded, suddenly feeling tired. He took a bigger gulp of his coffee. 'Regina's office, at the town hall, half past ten; Have a good night's rest.'